Hillman blanks Arenac Eastern

HILLMAN - Sep. 19, 2008 - A banged up Arenac Eastern football team was unable to handle a big, physical Hillman squad on Friday while taking a 36-0 North Star League loss on the road.

The painfully thin Eagles, with several players either unable to play due to injuries and other, including quarterback Graham Morgan, playing at less than 100 percent, trailed 21-0 at the half.

"We're kind of beat up," said AE coach Mark Machulis. "We're waiting to hear the status on a few kids. But either way, we hope we match up better this week against Posen than we did at Hillman. They're very tough, and we knew going in that they would be."

The Tigers opened the game with a 10-play drive that ended in a score for a 6-0 lead and added another touchdown early in the second quarter.

A 75-yard touchdown 1:40 before the half sealed AE's fate.

Six penalties for 75 yards proved very damaging to the Eagles' scoring chances, as they were able to push the ball inside the Hillman 20 on three occasions.

"We can't have that many penalties and be successful," Machulis said. "But we're a really young team, and right now it's our job to keep the kids upbeat. We knew this year that every game would be a dogfight."

Morgan finished 8-of-18 passing for 97 yards, all to Caleb Rahn. He also rushed 16 times for 100 yards, while Caleb Whitney added 85 yards on 10 carries.

Al Bilacic led the defense with seven solo tackles and four assists, with Morgan adding five tackles and Rahn four tackles and an interception.